Steve McClaren admits looking at non-league football for Newcastle signings

Newcastle are hoping to find the next Jamie Vardy in non-league football.

Newcastle have found some famous players in their history from non-league football, and Steve McClaren has admitted to the Chronicle that he is set to scour the local non-league markets for potential future signings.

When asked whether he is scouting the non-league market, McClaren said: “Locally, very much so. Some players may flourish in one place but not in another. That’s how it is. Vardy has excelled at Leicester and he’s the main man now.”

Vardy is the current Premier League poster boy, with his recent success for Leicester City proving that stepping up from non-league to the top flight is possible.

Other players have made this passage, with Rickie Lambert and Charlie Austin other examples, and there is undoubtedly quality down the football pyramid.

Newcastle are set to now start scouting the non-league market, especially locally, hoping to find the next superstar who can go on to take the Premier League by storm, and then maybe even win international recognition.

The benefits of moving for non-league players are many, and often can prove shrewder moves that signing established players. Cheaper transfers are possible, and every player brought in is going to possess home grown status that is so valuable in the Premier League.

Newcastle’s recent history in the transfer market has been very hit or miss, and maybe now looking at non-league players could be the perfect place for the Magpies to find a new superstar.

Billy Hawkins

Billy is a freelance writer who contributes to various sites concerning football. Known to possess an obsession with statistics, Eastern European club sides, and Victorian football, he focuses upon the untapped potential of the Football League in the belief it is more enjoyable than the Premier League.